YALSA Notable Books for Teens (fiction section) 2008YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (fiction section) 2008 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (fiction section) 2009
List your name and your fiction reading choice below. (Later you will come back here and give the group a synopsis of your title with comments on age appropriateness and use.You may copy and paste the format given on the introduction page, then fill it in below.) * = assignment completed *Jean White - Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr *Cristofer Wiley - The New Policeman, Kate Thompson
*Stephanie Walters - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
*Heather Barto Wiley - Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers *Jean Downey - Before I Die, Jenny Downham *Judy Oakley-The White Darkness *Bruce Moss-Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin Seth Beale- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Ruth Sartin-
Judy Oakley The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean/HarperTempest /2005
Summary: Fantasy> A fourteen-year-old girl in London, who is fascinated by the Scott expedition, manages to voyage to the South Pole. A suspenseful, fantastical novel, it must be approached as Wordsworth said with a "willing suspension of disblief." The author attempts to meld the unsuccessful and fatal Scott expedition with the erroneous Symmes Hole Theory into a fictional novel. The results are not quite believable, even for a novel. Some sexual and violent content.
Grade level: 10-12
Uses: individual and possible class novel
Subject tie-in:
Literature : absolutely
social studies : good possibility
science : probability
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
point of view : perhaps> the POV is the fourteen-year-old narrator
theme : bildingsroman novel: journey or quest novel
Comments: One of my SAT verbal students at Salem College, a sophomore at Mt.Tabor, has read this book. She is a voracious reader, and she was not enthusiastic about the novel. KP: This is a real change for this author, who usually does middle school books. Wonder why it was considered a "best" book? Jean Downey - Before I Die by Jenny Downham/David Ficking Books/2007
Summary: Realistic Fiction- A young English girl with cancer is on a quest to complete a list of things she would like to do before she dies. Her list of ten things she must do, includes having sex for the first time, commiting a crime and falling in love. On her way through her list she and the few around her who participate in the list encounter pain, frustration, love and acceptance. The novel is a good read even if a bit predictable.
Grade level: 9-12
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:
Literature -yes
social studies -yes
science - possible
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
inference - yes
cause and effect - yes
point of view -YES
author's purpose - yes
theme - yes
Comments: I enjoyed this book. I would not recommend it for a male student because of the female point of view. KP: Aren't there any boys in her circle of friends? Does she succeed with the sex item on her list?
Jean White Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr / Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / 2007. Summary: Realistic Fiction -- Story of a teen girl who is trying to 'sort out her life' from a mistake made two years previously when she was 13. Dianna Lambert is 'caught' by her father having sex with her brother's best friend, Tommy, age 17. In a small town, news travels fast and she is branded as a 'slut'. This mistake has a huge impact on her self-image. With few friends and little support from her disfunctional family, she struggles and copes by writing in her journal about a girl who has the same feelings she has. Good character development, frank and sensitively written, Zarr has captured a slice of teen angst.
Grade level: 9 and up - targeted toward female audiences
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:
Literature - yes
other: possible Life Skills
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
cause and effect : mistakes and consequences
point of view : from main character, Dianna Lambert
author's purpose : Segment of a teen girl's situation
Comments: Afterthoughts: This book would not have been in a school library 40 years ago due to the topic. Seems that today's society has deemed more topics as acceptable and the bar is nonexistent. My first impression was that this book seemed to be 'on the edge' of acceptability for a school library. But after much contemplation the realization is that this is exactly what many teens are going through in their daily lives. Closing ones eyes to it does not help the problem. KP - so she was 13 and he was 17. This reminds me about the problems some of the young sex offenders have with registering their whole life because the parents pressed charges. Role reversal.
Bruce Moss- Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabrielle Zevin, 2007.
Summary: The story of a 16-year-old who sustained a head injury from a fall and regains her memory gradually through the course of the novel. During her recovery, she discovers old friendships, boyfriends, her parents divorce and otherwise uninvolved relationships who gained greater significance to her. She has to re-invent herself in order to cope with re-learning how to simple activities like driving a car, French classes, sex, and why she liked her boyfriend in the first place. An interesting look into what matters to teenagers and motivates their social connections. Grade level: 9-11 Uses: Individual Reading Subject tie-in: Coping Skills and Adolescent Development, Social Science, Life Skills. · Literature- Yes · Social studies: How do adolescents interact? Why do they choose their friends and/or love partners? · Science: Brain Function. Centers in the brain for Memory and Emotions. · Math: Maturity time line? Regaining memories after amnesia. 1. point of view of the teenage girl and why she makes different choices 2. author's purpose – Questioning value system and relationships 3. theme – Regaining new social identity and awareness Comments: This is a great book for teenagers to consider friendships, relationships, social expectations and why friends matter.
Stephanie Walters - Graceling by Kristin Cashore/ Harcourt Books, 2008 Amazon.Com Link Summary: Gracelings are people with special talents like fighting, swimming, cooking, and sewing, and each graceling has two different colored eyes. Beautiful Katsa is graced with fighting; the problem is that her tyrannical uncle, king of seven kingdoms, uses her gift to his full advantage. To redeem herself for the crimes carried out in his name, Katsa helps found The Council, an organization dedicated to righting the wrongs of the kingdom. While on one of her council quests, Katsa not only rebels against her uncle's wishes, but she is also exiled from the kingdom. Luckily she has Prince Po, a graceling mind-reader, to help her on the most dangerous mission of all - the battle against a mind-controlling, masochistic king. This book does contain sexual and violent topics, though they are not explicitly graphic. Grade level: 9-12 Uses: individual reading, though it would also be an interesting literature circle piece Subject tie-in:
Literature: Naturally - it's a book. This is a great "journey" novel.
social studies: has some feudalism tie-ins
science: maybe discussions related to genetics and eye color; how can other senses develop when one sense is handicapped?
other: Art could be very interesting. I can envision a portrait assignment based around characters in the novel.
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
inference: frequently left to guess about the fate of several characters, good prediction skill-development
cause and effect: focus on Katsa's actions and how they lead to certain fates
theme: Journey novel - finding yourself
Comments: Very entertaining fantasy novel. I started reading it at 10:00 one night and only stopped at 3 AM because I simply HAD to sleep. I daresay the book was finished by 11:00 the next morning. I wish we integrated more fantasy novels into the curriculum. Girls would enjoy this book more than boys though because of the love element and female heroine.
Heather Barto Wiley: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer Summary: Bella Swan is a high school graduate who is in love with a Vampire. She is in love with and marries a vampire named Edward. She then faces a series of challenges that include an unconventional pregnancy, the criticism of a best friend who is a werewolf and a dangerous feud with the Voltari, who keep law in the vampire world. Grade level: 9-12 Uses: Independent reading, Excerpts Subject tie-in:
Literature: Independent reading
social studies: Power structure (Voltari); How does a coup take place?; Building an army
science: Physics: How much force would it take for a person to break a boulder? Biology - mapping the possible genetics of a werewolf vs. a vampire vs. a human/vampire vs. a human according to the number of chromosomes.
other: Parenting and Child development - pregnancy and birth - What are the challenges of taking care of a special needs child?
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
inference: making predictions about the baby, bella's fate, and the fate of the Voltari
theme: Decisions, Actions, and Consequences: How can a person's decisions and actions change his/her life?
point-of-view: The shift from Bella's narrative to Jacob's narrative and why Stephanie Meyer decided to do that.
Comments: H
The novel is high interest and very popular with the movies that are being made. Using this story in the classroom could create an excitement toward the lesson. The novels is geared mostly toward girls, but I have heard several boys say that they read it and enjoyed it. Cristofer Wiley: The New Policeman by Kate Thompson
Summary: Set in present-day Ireland, The New Policeman tells the story of a fifteen year-old teen named J.J. who has an affinity for the traditional Irish music and dancing. Though the pastimes are somewhat “uncool” for most boys his age, J.J. finds constant company among his family and others in his village who keep the mirthful traditions alive. Most everyone in the novel is subtly aware of the press of time, a feeling of “not having enough hours in the day”. In trying to “find the time,” J.J. inadvertently discovers a portal between his world and the Land of Eternal Youth of folklore, where time does not exist. His passage reveals that the link between these two worlds and the thread that runs through is heritage are uncommonly interwoven.
Grade level: 9-12 Use: Independent reading Curricular strands: · Creative writing: myths and folktales · Social studies: Irish history; geography; psychology and sociology (human behavior) · Music: traditional music (transcribed between chapters) · Life skills High yield strategy for reading skill development: 1. Theme: finding and understanding one’s place in society; exploring heritage to find self
2. Inference: predicting connections between the two worlds, implications of the portal, continuity of family history
3. Author’s purpose: extolling virtue of simplicity and a deliberate pace of life; idyllic depiction of Irish village (incidentally, author’s place of residence); high regard for tradition Comments: I certainly identified with the novel’s subtitle – Who knows where the time goes? I found the book to be very involving and entertaining. The unfolding of events, though fanciful in their fiction, have enough logic to give the reader an plausible what if sort of feeling. The tone and the subject matter were age appropriate; these elements were well matched with surprisingly insightful storytelling. The author includes a glossary for a generous handful of Irish allusions and colloquialisms, and her website hosts audio files of the intercalary musical transcriptions.
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (fiction section) 2008
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (fiction section) 2009
List your name and your fiction reading choice below. (Later you will come back here and give the group a synopsis of your title with comments on age appropriateness and use.You may copy and paste the format given on the introduction page, then fill it in below.) * = assignment completed
*Jean White - Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
*Cristofer Wiley - The New Policeman, Kate Thompson
*Stephanie Walters - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
*Heather Barto Wiley - Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers
*Jean Downey - Before I Die, Jenny Downham
*Judy Oakley-The White Darkness
*Bruce Moss-Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Seth Beale- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Ruth Sartin-
Judy Oakley
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean/HarperTempest /2005
Summary: Fantasy> A fourteen-year-old girl in London, who is fascinated by the Scott expedition, manages to voyage to the South Pole. A suspenseful, fantastical novel, it must be approached as Wordsworth said with a "willing suspension of disblief." The author attempts to meld the unsuccessful and fatal Scott expedition with the erroneous Symmes Hole Theory into a fictional novel. The results are not quite believable, even for a novel. Some sexual and violent content.
Grade level: 10-12
Uses: individual and possible class novel
Subject tie-in:
- Literature : absolutely
- social studies : good possibility
- science : probability
High yield strategy for reading skill development:- point of view : perhaps> the POV is the fourteen-year-old narrator
- theme : bildingsroman novel: journey or quest novel
Comments: One of my SAT verbal students at Salem College, a sophomore at Mt.Tabor, has read this book. She is a voracious reader, and she was not enthusiastic about the novel.KP: This is a real change for this author, who usually does middle school books. Wonder why it was considered a "best" book?
Jean Downey -
Before I Die by Jenny Downham/David Ficking Books/2007
Summary: Realistic Fiction- A young English girl with cancer is on a quest to complete a list of things she would like to do before she dies. Her list of ten things she must do, includes having sex for the first time, commiting a crime and falling in love. On her way through her list she and the few around her who participate in the list encounter pain, frustration, love and acceptance. The novel is a good read even if a bit predictable.
Grade level: 9-12
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:
- Literature -yes
- social studies -yes
- science - possible
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
Comments: I enjoyed this book. I would not recommend it for a male student because of the female point of view.KP: Aren't there any boys in her circle of friends? Does she succeed with the sex item on her list?
Jean White
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr / Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / 2007.
Summary: Realistic Fiction -- Story of a teen girl who is trying to 'sort out her life' from a mistake made two years previously when she was 13. Dianna Lambert is 'caught' by her father having sex with her brother's best friend, Tommy, age 17. In a small town, news travels fast and she is branded as a 'slut'. This mistake has a huge impact on her self-image. With few friends and little support from her disfunctional family, she struggles and copes by writing in her journal about a girl who has the same feelings she has. Good character development, frank and sensitively written, Zarr has captured a slice of teen angst.
Grade level: 9 and up - targeted toward female audiences
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:
- Literature - yes
- other: possible Life Skills
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
Comments: Afterthoughts: This book would not have been in a school library 40 years ago due to the topic. Seems that today's society has deemed more topics as acceptable and the bar is nonexistent. My first impression was that this book seemed to be 'on the edge' of acceptability for a school library. But after much contemplation the realization is that this is exactly what many teens are going through in their daily lives. Closing ones eyes to it does not help the problem.KP - so she was 13 and he was 17. This reminds me about the problems some of the young sex offenders have with registering their whole life because the parents pressed charges. Role reversal.
Bruce Moss- Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabrielle Zevin, 2007.
Summary: The story of a 16-year-old who sustained a head injury from a fall and regains her memory gradually through the course of the novel. During her recovery, she discovers old friendships, boyfriends, her parents divorce and otherwise uninvolved relationships who gained greater significance to her. She has to re-invent herself in order to cope with re-learning how to simple activities like driving a car, French classes, sex, and why she liked her boyfriend in the first place. An interesting look into what matters to teenagers and motivates their social connections.
Grade level: 9-11
Uses: Individual Reading
Subject tie-in: Coping Skills and Adolescent Development, Social Science, Life Skills.
· Literature- Yes
· Social studies: How do adolescents interact? Why do they choose their friends and/or love partners?
· Science: Brain Function. Centers in the brain for Memory and Emotions.
· Math: Maturity time line? Regaining memories after amnesia.
1. point of view of the teenage girl and why she makes different choices
2. author's purpose – Questioning value system and relationships
3. theme – Regaining new social identity and awareness
Comments: This is a great book for teenagers to consider friendships, relationships, social expectations and why friends matter.
Stephanie Walters - Graceling by Kristin Cashore/ Harcourt Books, 2008
Amazon.Com Link
Summary: Gracelings are people with special talents like fighting, swimming, cooking, and sewing, and each graceling has two different colored eyes. Beautiful Katsa is graced with fighting; the problem is that her tyrannical uncle, king of seven kingdoms, uses her gift to his full advantage. To redeem herself for the crimes carried out in his name, Katsa helps found The Council, an organization dedicated to righting the wrongs of the kingdom. While on one of her council quests, Katsa not only rebels against her uncle's wishes, but she is also exiled from the kingdom. Luckily she has Prince Po, a graceling mind-reader, to help her on the most dangerous mission of all - the battle against a mind-controlling, masochistic king. This book does contain sexual and violent topics, though they are not explicitly graphic.
Grade level: 9-12
Uses: individual reading, though it would also be an interesting literature circle piece
Subject tie-in:
- Literature: Naturally - it's a book. This is a great "journey" novel.
- social studies: has some feudalism tie-ins
- science: maybe discussions related to genetics and eye color; how can other senses develop when one sense is handicapped?
- other: Art could be very interesting. I can envision a portrait assignment based around characters in the novel.
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
Comments: Very entertaining fantasy novel. I started reading it at 10:00 one night and only stopped at 3 AM because I simply HAD to sleep. I daresay the book was finished by 11:00 the next morning. I wish we integrated more fantasy novels into the curriculum. Girls would enjoy this book more than boys though because of the love element and female heroine.Heather Barto Wiley: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Summary: Bella Swan is a high school graduate who is in love with a Vampire. She is in love with and marries a vampire named Edward. She then faces a series of challenges that include an unconventional pregnancy, the criticism of a best friend who is a werewolf and a dangerous feud with the Voltari, who keep law in the vampire world.
Grade level: 9-12
Uses: Independent reading, Excerpts
Subject tie-in:
- Literature: Independent reading
- social studies: Power structure (Voltari); How does a coup take place?; Building an army
- science: Physics: How much force would it take for a person to break a boulder? Biology - mapping the possible genetics of a werewolf vs. a vampire vs. a human/vampire vs. a human according to the number of chromosomes.
- other: Parenting and Child development - pregnancy and birth - What are the challenges of taking care of a special needs child?
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
Comments: HThe novel is high interest and very popular with the movies that are being made. Using this story in the classroom could create an excitement toward the lesson. The novels is geared mostly toward girls, but I have heard several boys say that they read it and enjoyed it.
Cristofer Wiley: The New Policeman by Kate Thompson
Summary: Set in present-day Ireland, The New Policeman tells the story of a fifteen year-old teen named J.J. who has an affinity for the traditional Irish music and dancing. Though the pastimes are somewhat “uncool” for most boys his age, J.J. finds constant company among his family and others in his village who keep the mirthful traditions alive. Most everyone in the novel is subtly aware of the press of time, a feeling of “not having enough hours in the day”. In trying to “find the time,” J.J. inadvertently discovers a portal between his world and the Land of Eternal Youth of folklore, where time does not exist. His passage reveals that the link between these two worlds and the thread that runs through is heritage are uncommonly interwoven.
Grade level: 9-12
Use: Independent reading
Curricular strands:
· Creative writing: myths and folktales
· Social studies: Irish history; geography; psychology and sociology (human behavior)
· Music: traditional music (transcribed between chapters)
· Life skills
High yield strategy for reading skill development:
1. Theme: finding and understanding one’s place in society; exploring heritage to find self
2. Inference: predicting connections between the two worlds, implications of the portal, continuity of family history
3. Author’s purpose: extolling virtue of simplicity and a deliberate pace of life; idyllic depiction of Irish village (incidentally, author’s place of residence); high regard for tradition
Comments: I certainly identified with the novel’s subtitle – Who knows where the time goes? I found the book to be very involving and entertaining. The unfolding of events, though fanciful in their fiction, have enough logic to give the reader an plausible what if sort of feeling. The tone and the subject matter were age appropriate; these elements were well matched with surprisingly insightful storytelling. The author includes a glossary for a generous handful of Irish allusions and colloquialisms, and her website hosts audio files of the intercalary musical transcriptions.
Seth Beale